"The Beach at Kilmore Quay" Ireland plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"The Beach at Kilmore Quay" 8x16 oil on panel   $800

 

Our first adventure out of Wexford for Art in the Open 2025 started at 9am as the artists gathered at the train station with all our gear to catch the big bus. Destination Kilmore Quay. 

 Kilmoor Quay ( Irish: Ce Na Cille Moire  meaning" Quay of the Big Church" )

This little village in county Wexford has a population of about 500.  It features a soft sand swimming beach attached to a harbor where Irish yachts set sail for France and other destinations. This is a fishing village but caters to tourists these days with shops and pubs and of course a prominent stone church, Saint Peters.

The day began very windy with rain squalls but I had my trusty umbrella and set up right off the bat down at the beach.  Wind was in my face and I found out that I could hold my easel by leaning against it and even use my umbrella when the squall came through and managed to get the above painting done in about an hour.

After lunch at the local pub, fish and chips washed down with a Guinness, Yum!!,  the wind died down and the sun came out  making for a pleasant afternoon of painting.

"Quick Paint in Wexford" Ireland plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Quick Paint in Wexford"  14x11 oil on panel $800

Every big plein air competition has some form of a "quick draw" or "quick paint"  these days and Art in the Open was no different.  The registered artists set up in the square by the Glen Gallery all standing by our easels waiting for the air horn to start.  We had two hours to finish, artists intent to make an impactful representation of their surroundings on canvas. The painting above is what I ended up with. 

There were a lot of good paintings and wish I would have taken more photos.  My painting did not win an award or sell but many did and there was a large crowd of on-lookers.

The Quick Draw was a good start to Art in the Open!  The rest of the week we would be taking the big bus to different locations around Wexford to paint and make friends.  Now it's time to go to the pub for a Guinness...  Stay tuned for more adventures in Ireland!

 

"Wexford Town" Ireland plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Wexford Town"  14x11 oil on panel  $800

 

Before getting too far down the blog post road with the Whidbey Island Plein Air competition I would like to post my paintings and our adventures in Ireland during Art in the Open 2025.

Good friend and artist Ned Mueller and his wife Karen Scannell Mueller began telling us about Art in the Open years ago and after trying a few times to schedule a trip to Ireland we finally made it in 2025. Sadly due to health reasons we were not able to meet up with Ned and Karen but they were with us in spirit.

Art in the Open is a cool plein air painting competition which is open to anyone who wants to register and emphasizes making friends and building relationships over competition for awards. It attracts artists from around the world and over 200 attended this years event.

Ann booked a round trip ticket from Seattle to Dublin which was a 9 hour flight with no layovers or transfers. We arrived in Wexford by train with me dragging along a large roller suitcase I purchased on Amazon and another big duffle bag with my painting gear. This is the first event I have attended out of the country where I had to fly in with all the stuff needed to paint, frame and hang finished paintings. If I did Wexford again I would use the local art store, Spectrum for framing and solvent or any other last minuet needs. They are great!

More on Art in the Open in future posts!  =]

View of Wexford from our amazing Air BnB

"Admiralty Head Lighthouse 2025" Whidbey Island plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Admiralty Head Lighthouse 2025"  8x16 oil on panel, plein air  $800
Available through the Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA
360-293-6938

 

Once again the Whidbey Island Plein Air event hosted by the Pacific Northwest Art School in Coupeville Washington did not disappoint!  We had a blast roaming the island, painting the stunning vistas.  I went back to a lot of my favorite haunts like the lighthouse at Fort Casey. I have painted this lighthouse so many times I identified it in the title with the year....Ha!  

If you are interested in joining this yearly event go the the website and get on their mailing list as August comes fast in the summer and there is not a lot of pre-notice.  Hope to see you next year!!  =]

"Seattle Sky" Seattle City Painting by Robin Weiss

"Seattle Sky"  12x16 oil on panel   $850
Available through Alki Arts
206-295-5115

 I'm way behind in my posting again due to lots of traveling and plein air events. We attended Art in the Open in Wexford Ireland in early August and just returned from the Whidbey Island Plein Air, so lots of new paintings to post!!  Currently I have a little pop-up show at the Poulsbohemian in Poulsbo and getting ready for another Featured Artist Exhibition coming up in October at Alki Arts in West Seattle!

 These art shows are always so much fun! The West Seattle community always turns out in force and there is always music, laughter and fun in the gallery.  Hope you can make it to the opening on Saturday the 4th of October at Alki Arts!!